Understanding the NCI Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program

Dr. Jonathan Franca-Koh, Ph.D., M.B.A. is a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center. Dr. Franca-Koh manages SBIR & STTR grants and contracts with a focus on cancer therapeutics and novel tools for research and drug discovery. He provides oversight throughout the award period and mentors applicants and awardees in developing their technology goals and commercialization strategy. Additionally, he plays an active role in several center initiatives, including recent investor forums, workshops, targeted funding opportunities, and represents the NCI on the trans-NIH REACH program.

Prior to joining the SBIR Development Center, Dr. Franca-Koh was a Program Director at the NCI Division of Cancer Biology and Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, overseeing the Physical Sciences-Oncology Centers (PS-OC) program, a network of interdisciplinary centers that brought together physical scientists and cancer biologists. Dr. Franca-Koh received his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of London’s Institute of Cancer Research in 2003, and completed post-doctoral research at Johns Hopkins University and the J. Craig Venter Institute. In 2014 he completed his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, focusing on finance and health care innovation.

William Bozza, Ph.D., is a Program Director in the National Cancer Institute’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center, where he supports the development and commercialization of innovative cancer technologies. He manages a portfolio of small business grants and contracts spanning therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, imaging, and digital health, and advises entrepreneurs on NCI funding opportunities and advancing technologies toward clinical and commercial milestones. Dr. Bozza also helps direct NCI SBIR initiatives designed to build a translational pipeline for pediatric and rare cancer technologies, spanning the early-stage Innovative Concept Award and the late-stage Strategic Breakthrough Award. These programs support promising technologies from high-risk, early development through advanced clinical translation and commercialization. He also engages the small business community through national outreach, webinars, and the NCI SBIR Innovation Lab podcast.

Prior to joining NCI, Dr. Bozza spent nearly eight years at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research as a regulatory scientist and researcher. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Delaware.

Steve Eacker is the co-founder and CEO of CytoTerra, Inc. Steve is a PNW native, earning his PhD from the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington before heading to Johns Hopkins University for post-doctoral studies. There he rose through the ranks to become tenure-track faculty in the Department of Neurology at the JHU School of Medicine. In 2018, Steve joined Phase Genomics, leading innovations made by this notable Seattle start-up as Vice President of Research and Development. Over the course his tenure at Phase Genomics, he helped bring in more than $15M in non-dilutive funding, serving as principal investigator on awards that led to the development of genomic proximity mapping (GPM), a next generation cytogenetics technology. Seeing the value of GPM and understanding the focus needed to bring it to a clinical market, Steve together with Sean MacLeod and Jesse Salk founded CytoTerra, launching operations in January 2026 following a successful pre-seed financing.